* 20 SLTB buses for passengers travelling from Mahawa to Anuradhapura and Jaffna
* All-night pirith chanting ceremony to bless the project at Sri Maha Bodhi tonight
Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media Dr. Bandula Gunawardena said that the renovation of the section of the Northern railway track from Mahawa to Anuradhapura, which will be modernised at a cost of Rs. 3 billion, will begin on January 7, 2024.
The Minister told a press conference at the Government Information Department on Friday (December 29), that the train from Colombo to Anuradhapura will have to be stopped to enable the repairs and the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has agreed to deploy 20 SLTB buses for five months for the convenience of passengers travelling from Colombo to Mahawa and beyond to Anuradhapura or Jaffna.
He said that the railway commuters will have to endure the inconvenience only for about five months. A special bus service will run from Colombo to Jaffna via Anuradhapura and from Mahawa to Anuradhapura and Jaffna, he said.
Dr. Gunawardena said, “The section of the Northern railway track from Mahawa to Omanthai, which has served for a long time in the history of our country, has not been renovated for a long time. Therefore, a loan was approved under the Indian Credit Line (ICL) to modernise Sri Lanka’s railway system in 2014 and the total loan amount approved for the modernsation of the Northern railway is about Rs.3 billion. Although the agreement related to this loan scheme was started in 2014, tenders were called for 128 kilometres from Mahawa to Omanthai only in 2019. According to the competitive bids presented, the contract has been awarded to Ircon, a company owned 100 percent by the Government of India. However, no work was carried out during the pandemic years.
“After I became the Minister in charge, I discussed with India to do this project as soon as possible,” he said.
Tough decision
At that time we came to a tough decision. Although it was approved, the railroad from Anuradhapura to Omanthai was closed for six months due to the fact that it had not been repaired for years.
We have sought the blessings of the Anuradhapura historical Atamasthana (eight Buddhist places of worship) to start this public mission and the 128 km distance from Mahawa to Omanthai has been renovated so that trains can run at a speed of 100 km per hour. We are taking steps to start the section from Anuradhapura to Mahawa on January 7, 2024. For this reason, the Colombo to Anuradhapura rail route will be stopped.”
For the convenience of travellers, the SLTB has agreed to deploy 20 buses for another five months. This temporary discomfort has to be endured for about five months. There is a special bus service from Colombo to Jaffna via Anuradhapura and from Mahawa to Anuradhapura and Jaffna.
With the aim of starting those activities and benefitting the people, the Railway Department will conduct an all-night pirith chanting at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi from tonight till tomorrow, January 1, 2024. We hope to run a special train from January 1 to 6. This project, which has not been implemented for a long time, will ensure the complete renovation of the rail track from Colombo to Jaffna before Poson Poya, and it will be turned into an excellent railway line where trains can travel at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour.
Through this, the train journey from Colombo to Jaffna, which currently takes seven hours, can be completed in five hours. That is a saving of two hours. This is a huge railway development project.
It is for the benefit of the people and for the future development of the country. Two proposals were presented as a Budget proposal. By obtaining more efficient income from the assets owned by the Railway Department and minimising the losses, railway land is given on a long-term lease basis for commercial projects in the railway reserves. In that way, we will also start projects next year. Work on the new railway track from Anuradhapura to Mihintale is also under way.
Funds have also been allocated in the Budget to turn Mihintale into a multi-model exchange centre under the Greater Anuradhapura City Project. Steps are being taken to provide land near the Mihintale railway station on a lease basis. Imported goods can be transported to warehouses in Mihintale for transportation to the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
This project will benefit the country for the next 50 years. Railway Department employees provide a great service. Some train engines are more than 60 years old and we only have 60 good engines. But there is no extra money to purchase new engines. The railway has been running at a loss for a long time. Even now, all these activities are done on a credit basis.
This loan has been received under the ICL. After debt restructuring, we hope to get more loans in future for rail development.
Minister Dr. Gunawardena said that the Government will provide solutions to a number of problems in the railway service in 2024.
Railway General Manager H. M. K.W. Bandara said, “These development works are going on from Mahawa to Anuradhapura. The railway line will be closed from January 7, 2024 to start this project. We expect to run two train between Anuradhapura and Jaffna. The train running from Anuradhapura to Kankesanthurai from Beliatta will run to Mahawa and back to Beliatta. There is also a direct bus service between Anuradhapura and Mahawa. Trains travelling to Jaffna will run up to Trincomalee. We, however, hope to run a special train to Anuradhapura until January 7, 2024.
Mihintale railway line
By the end of March next year, the development of the Mihintale railway line will be completed. With the development of the Northern railway, there will be no need for re-development for the next 50 years. It will be a great relief to the people of the North as well as the people of Mannar.
This is favourable for tourism. Nearly 20 to 25 percent commuters travel by trains without tickets. I hope they will be fined. The fine for ticketless travel is expected to be increased to Rs.10,000. Steps are being taken to recover the lost income.”
Railway Deputy General Manager (Transport) N.J. Indipolage and Project Director of the Northern Railway Modernisation Project Ashoka Munasinghe also spoke.
